The eclipse
by Mademoiselle Pacoste
Summary: He told her about a magic lake. He knew little about it apart from its location and its power to grant extreme power to anyone that will dare to bath in its waters at the middle of the night. However, he did not know if there were any words that had to be spoken or neither if there was any price for it. But Morgana cared little for it. No matter the price, she wanted that power.
1. The eclipse of the moon

She was furious but who wouldn't be if they were in the witch shoes? Morgana had thought that all her problems were gone. Merlin was supposed to be dead and so would have be the so called prophecy that foretold her doom. Yet, Merlin - or Emrys or whatever his name was- was pretty much alive. She had seen him at the battlefield. He had not really looked like Merlin, but like the old man from her nightmares. He had been powerful. Too powerful, in fact. And that frightened her. Her men were nothing but sand dust against his power. Morgana still had some people on her side, but she knew pretty well that they would mean nothing in front of him. Once she had considered him a stupid servant. She had underestimated him. If only she had someone like him on her side….

She remembered that once he was on her side. They were friends and he used to bring her flowers. Was it really a lie? Had he really cared for her? Still she had never matched his concern towards Arthur. No matter what he would have always chosen Arthur….She cursed her brother. She hated him to such degree that words would have been enough to describe. But he was wounded. Not even Emrys would be able to save him. Finally, her greatest rival would be no more….

However, Merlin would still not join her. He hated her. He would hate her even more for killing his best friend. She cursed herself for even allowing herself to have such thoughts. Why did she care for what Merlin would feel or do? She did not need him to join her. She needed to get rid of him. But how could she possibly manage such a thing?

Morgana had sent her people to find and kill them. Her people had found them, but the dead ones had been her people.

Some hours before, she had thought that Arthur had no chance, but now the witch started to doubt that. What if Merlin had found a way to cure him? She had to do something. She had to stop them. If only there was a way to increase her power….

One of her men – of the very few she was left with- guessed her concerns. Yet he dared not to ask her directly. Instead he told her about a magic lake. He knew little about it apart from its location and its power to grant extreme power to anyone that will dare to bath in its waters at the middle of the night. However, he did not know if there were any words that had to be spoken or neither if there was any price for it. But Morgana cared little for it. No matter the price, no matter the consequences she needed that power.

* * *

The night was dark. She could hear the wolves howling in the distance. The moon was smaller and smaller as the time passed and the witch got closer to the place. Morgana was alone. Despite her power and her many years of loneliness, she still felt nervous. There was something in the air that made her blood run cold. And the moon shone cold and frightening. The wolves were closer and closer. T he howling cut through her ears like thousands on ice needles. And the night was black….

The High Priestess stopped at the bank of the lake. She had abandoned her horse long ago because of the rocks and the impossible slopes she had to climb. It may have become food for the wolves. Morgana did not allow herself to think about it. There was no going back. She had to succeed no matter what she would have to sacrifice.

She walked slowly towards the water. It was freezing cold. Morgana bite her lips and kept going. The feeling of the cold water on her skin reminded her of the times she had used to play with Arthur outside the castle's walls. Just she hadn't been frightened back then. She had liked to challenge him. Whether it had been fighting with swords or proving their intelligence, there was nothing she would not do. She remembered that there was a lake close to the castle's walls and one day she had challenged him to go there at night. She had been frightened indeed - they were still kids at the time – but she was too proud to admit it. He had probably been frightened too, but he was Arthur and he was as proud or even more proud that her. However, as the kids had reached the lake, they forgot about fear and worries. The scenery was breathtaking…..

The water was cold and the witch left an imperceptible cry as her body sank deeper in the water. As she went farther to the bank her dress started get heavy, so heavy that the witch had to force herself to stand. The moon had almost disappeared as she reached the middle of the lake. Small as it was, its light reflecting on the mirror of the lake, made the water resemble an ocean of blood. Morgana had never seen it that way before.

The High Priestess struggled now to keep herself over the water. Not only her dress, but her own body became extremely heavy. She was afraid like she had never been in her life. Every breath she took, the witch feared that would be the last. There was something that was dragging her to the bottom and Morgana fought with all her strength to stay out. But her body was weak and the moon was now gone. For the first time in her life she stopped fighting and her body went down, down, down to the bottom of the lake, sinking in an ocean of utter darkness.


	2. Between the moon and the water

The moon shone bright again as the witch managed to rise above water. She could see lights on the bank, but she panicked as she felt she was unable to touch the bottom of the lake with her feet. She had learnt to swim when she was pretty young and so she couldn't explain why she was suddenly afraid of water. She used to love it. Now she was too weak. Yet she wanted to live. She just wanted so badly to live. She could hear music and she could see people on the bank. In fact, the place looked completely different from the one she'd come to just a couple of minutes ago. Yet the witch did not have time to register those things as she was struggling to survive.

Morgana was not far from the bank now. If only she could gather the energy to get out. She just shouted for help as she felt she wouldn't be able to go on. Then she heard someone saying that there was someone in the lake and soon someone jump near to where the witch was. Morgana hardly had time to register who the man was before she fainted in his arms. Of all the people, it had to be her mortal enemy: Merlin.

* * *

Merlin was bored. He was hardly in the mood for that party, but he didn't have a choice. It was only business and he just had had so many centuries to test his business skills. In fact, he had tested so many things all those centuries that had passed since Arthur's death.

At first, he had used to mourn his friend. He was depressed, lonely and lost. He had looked for every possible way of bringing him back. Meanwhile, he had grown old and all his friends had started to die until Merlin was the only left. However, he didn't give up. He went all over the world, Aithusa being his only companion. He had turned her into a pigeon so they wouldn't have any problem. But as the time passed by, he realized he could not go on like that. He tried to live his own life. It wasn't easy. He missed his friends. He was just so old and tired, but it seemed that death wouldn't choose him no matter how much time would pass. He had even tried to kill himself with Arthur's sword. It was painful, but the wound healed eventually.

In the end, Merlin decided to start a new life. He learnt everything he could learn and got involved in everything he could get involved. He read a lot, traveled a lot. He even became young again due to his power. Nevertheless, nothing was meant to last. Eventually, all the people he had learnt to care would get old and die. And it kept happening over and over again. The warlock had to suppress his feelings. He could have everything he wanted – wealth, luxury, power ; but never love and friendship. As he didn't like to be alone, he soon learnt how to amplify his wealth. He was aware that his friends, his girls were there just for his money, but he didn't care as long as he wasn't alone. He never married. He never allowed any relationship to last more than three years. He never stood in a city more than fifteen years. He would return after a century again.

Merlin knew he was the most wanted bachelor. He was rich. He was hot. The warlock decided to flit a little with the girls around. His business partner just happened to have a lovely daughter and he just happened to be alone at the time. They chatted and dance. She was clever and well-educated. Maybe, a bit too bossy and arrogant, but that's how his new world was like. Merlin himself had become quite arrogant. It wasn't like he didn't care for the less fortunate. He's made thousands of donations. He'd helped every person that had asked for his help. He'd built hospitals and designed new villages for the poor ones. However, there was something about him. Maybe, his air of superiority or his confidence that was reflected in his posture, in the way he walk, talk, in the way he commanded his employees or dealt with his competitors.

Merlin started to have some fun with Freda. They watched the eclipse from the bank. He'd seen so many eclipses during the time, but that one was quite special. The warlock knew that something unusual was about to happen. He could sense the old religion hanging on the air. But it was more than the mark of the old religion; that magic was quite familiar to him. It reminded him of things he had wanted to forget.

Since Camlann he had never seen Morgana again. He had even looked for her. After a while He had suspected that she had died. All he could have ever found was that she had gone to a mysterious lake and no one had ever seen her again. It was no wonder considering she had went to a very dangerous place. He didn't want to imagine what had happened with her. That place was inhabited by devils. Morgana had been just too obsessed to have power that had been willing to sacrifice anything. Pity, she hadn't known the legend. He'd gone to that place, too, but he had been unable to find a single trace of her. What had really happened there was a mystery even after so many centuries.

Strangely as it seems, he was exactly in the same place. No one had ever heard about those devils for centuries. Legend said they had been locked in that lake by a strong magic being. Truth been said, Merlin had never seen them. Yet, he knew they were real. They just waited to be summoned by the blood of a very powerful witch. Morgana happened to be a witch and a very powerful one. She was meant to be used as sacrifice for those dark spirits.

* * *

When he heard the cry for help, Merlin instantly jumped in the water. However, he never expected to see her there. She recognized him, but was too weak to stay conscious. Morgana was unchanged. Even her dress was the same: the same old dark lace dress he had hated so much and which had always made her look so damn sexy. Why was he thinking that she was sexy?

Freda called the ambulance while he tried to perform CPR on her. What was wrong with her? Why was she there? There were just too many questions he needed an answer.

It seemed she was just over-tired and suffered of a form of anemia. That was the diagnostic of the doctor. It wasn't anything, but it was less than he had expected. After all, who knows what she had done all that time? They would perform further investigations to be sure and as a result she would have to stay in hospital a bit longer.

"She must wake up after an infusion with glucose and vitamins." The nurse told to him. She did wake up, indeed. Meanwhile, he had removed her magic just to be sure she wouldn't do something stupid upon seeing him so close to her and hurt someone in the process. The nurses would take care of her. She wouldn't need that magic anymore.

He was right. Her first thought was to strike him with her magic. She was furious. It took his all energy to explain to her that he meant no harm to her this time. It took her even longer to tell him what had happened. At first, she refused to tell him. However, he had some suspicions that she was actually from the past. It was impossible for him not to have found her otherwise. Plus, it was quite strange for someone to wear the same type of dress for over a millennium. He just asked her if she knew how many centuries had passed since Arthur's death and suddenly she started to bump him with questions.

"Has Arthur died? When? Who is the king? Where are the others? Where is she? What he meant about centuries? Is she in the past?" and so on…Moreover, he needed a lot of energy in order to explain her why she shouldn't pull that needle out of her arm. He even tried to explain her that they would have to sting her in order to take some blood, but it was a complete failure. Merlin had to talk with the nurses to leave her a day as she was afraid of needles and so on...

When he came the next day, she was calmer. There were just so many things Morgana couldn't understand, and she figured over the night that she couldn't deal without him. The nurses were speaking about things she had never heard before. One of them had a "flight" Sunday morning. Another complained that her son spent too much time in front of computer. Then, there was that discussion about "cars" and something about Morgana wanting to watch a "film" on which she agreed thinking that it was a type of dish. Somehow she skipped the part when the nurse used the verb "watch" as she was very hungry. She almost jumped down the bed as on the wall in front of her appeared a tiger. And there were all those lights outside and that horrible noise. She actually went under the bed as a strange device, she later found out that it was called phone, started to make some strange noises all of the blue. In just a couple of hours, she missed Merlin more than she had ever missed him in years (if she had ever missed him). Yet it was her that demanded him to go.

However, he couldn't come early in the morning as he had promised due to traffic jam and some urgent calls he had to do. The nurses had to take her blood and it turned into a torture as she refused to allow them. They promised that it wouldn't hurt. Explained her that it was for her own sake. Yet, she kept refusing. However, one of the nurses who had noticed just how much she liked to eat threatened her to not give her anything to eat until she allow them to take her blood.

Probably, part of her calmness was due to the fact that she was dizzy after her long fight with the nurses and after losing some of her blood...

* * *

 **Honestly, I didn't know if I should torture Morgana more by adding the devils in the story and the part with the sacrifice. However, I didn't intend to turn my story into a horror fic or something like that. If you really want that part I can try, but it's not actually my cup of tea.**


	3. The Kingdom underneath the Waters I

**Hi! Do not worry. It's not a mistake. I've kept thinking about that legend with the devils and I've decided that I need to introduce it in my story as well. So, my story will have two plans. I can't give you too many details as this may ruin the story. The idea is that certain events had happened from the moment she drawn in the lake until she met Merlin. Why doesn't she remember that? I will let you figure out by yourselves. Let's call that place "the Kingdom Underneath the Waters". (KUW)**

* * *

The Kingdom Underneath the Water

The water was cold and the witch left an imperceptible cry as her body sank deeper in the water. As she went farther to the bank her dress started get heavy, so heavy that the witch had to force herself to stand. The moon had almost disappeared as she reached the middle of the lake. Small as it was, the moon's light reflecting on the mirror of the lake, made the water resemble an ocean of blood. Morgana had never seen something like that before.

The High Priestess struggled now to keep herself over the water. Not only her dress, but her own body became extremely heavy. She was afraid like she had never been in her life. Every breath she took, the witch feared that would be the last. There was something that was dragging her to the bottom and Morgana fought with all her strength to stay out. But her body was weak and the moon was now gone. For the first time in her life she stopped fighting and her body went down, down, down to the bottom of the lake, sinking in an ocean of utter darkness.

When she woke up, her body ached all over. The witch tried to stand, but she realized that her body was too weak to listen to her commands. She was lying on a huge cliff just meters away from the lake – or better said sea. The witch couldn't figure out how one could enter a lake and woke up on the shore of a sea. However, it gave her confidence that she might succeed. At least she was sure that the lake wasn't an ordinary lake. Yet, she had many other things to solve before the great moment; for instance she would need to figure out how to move and climb down from that damned cliff. But what she hadn't noticed was how high she was. To try to jump from there would have been suicide.

"Do you need help?" The witch heard a voice. She tried to sit, but she couldn't move anything else but her left hand. She was unable to see where that voice had come from. However, the coldness from that voice made her blood run cold in her veins. Soon she felt her body flying over the sea and then she landed in front of a coated man. The High Priestess couldn't see his face, but his posture and the fabric of his clothes, as well as his magic, told her he wasn't an ordinary man. "Stand." He commanded her, but she was still unable to do as she was told. Then he came close to her and started to study her. There was no elegance in his gestures. There was any gentleness in the way he touched her. "Morgana" He exclaimed. "I've never expected to have you here." He declared after he had finished inspecting her face.

"I want something from you." Morgana muttered as he let go of her. "I want power." The man laughed upon hearing her answer.

"Of course you do." He said. "I've been keeping an eye on your world for a very long time. "I can give you anything you want. Name it – wealth, power, immortality. I can heal your wounds and fix your clothes, although I kind of enjoy how much your dress allows me to see." The witch already hated his bluntness. "But for everything you ask, you will have to give something back. That is how it works. Are you willing to risk?"

"You can give me everything?!"

"As long as you pay for it. There are hardly any limits for me and I promise to pay you double were you to ask something I can't do."

"And what you want?"

"Nothing you can't give me. You can be sure. Are you in?"

"Yes. I will give you anything you want" She uttered without thinking. That was her only chance to defeat Arthur and conquer Camelot. She had gone too far already to go back and she didn't want to look weak.

"Then be it." He uttered something and soon she saw a white dragon flying above her. "She would take you to the palace." He said before the dragon caught the witch in her claws and took her to the palace.

* * *

The week was pretty successful for the witch. The black knight – as she called him since he had refused to tell her his name – had really accomplished each of her wishes. She was now sitting on the Camelot throne, commanding the Camelot's guards while the people bowed in front of her. She'd never felt more powerful. He had brought her brother so she would torture him as much as she wanted. And the witch had really enjoyed to. Yet there was a wish he refused to accomplish – he refused make her more powerful than Emrys, but as he promised, he offered her immortality in return.

In vain did she tried to convince him that being immortal wouldn't help her much since he would always be there ruining her plans, he just called her "stupid girl" and demanded her to "act well". He wasn't someone to disobey. She could see that clearly.

"Do you want immortality? Yes or no?" He asked coldly as he caught her by the arm.

"Yes, but …." She couldn't say a word as he poured the content of a cup down her throat. She choked, but was soon alright.

"There it is." He added on his usual tone. She watched him flabbergasted. "There is something else, my lady?"

She found him pretty annoying, but she needed him. Moreover, the witch was pretty aware he wasn't someone one would want to cross. He was cruel, cold and ruthless. He was the perfect ally and Morgana was aware of it. Yet her personality didn't allow her to be humble and so she had crossed him numerous times. That very single wish he had refused her had turned into an obsession for the High Priestess. He had told her she was crazy. Well, she was crazy. She wanted revenge and no matter what she did it wasn't enough. The throne of Camelot, her brother's suffering, immortality, nothing could bring her the peace she was yearning for. She wasn't happy. She wouldn't be as long as he was alive.

"You own me a lot, Morgana." He addressed her. "Now it's my turn to ask and you will have to obey. But first of all, I will tell you why I can't accomplish your wish." He took of his cap, revealing the last face she had expected to see.

"You?" It was all she managed to utter. He laughed. He was the perfect copy of her mortal enemy. He couldn't be, could it?

"Now, you see why I can't give you that power. I can't make you more powerful than I am. Maybe, your "Merlin" is not as powerful as I am, which will make your wish accomplishable. However, you won't return to your stupid world. You will have to stay here with me whether you like it or not, so it is useless to worry about such things." It was the first time she was really afraid of him. She didn't understand a thing.

"You can't force me." Morgana tried to play the brave one.

"Force you? Haven't you promised to give me everything I want? It's time to keep your promise. Moreover" he leaned on her ear and whispered "… your world is not real. It is my creation." Then he went loud again "Do not worry. We have enough time to tell you the story."


	4. A new day

**First of all Merry Christmas to you all!**

 **Secondly, sorry for letting you to wait so long, but I was so busy these days.**

 **Thirdly, I want to share some of my tradition with you so here you have some links to some of the carols that are singed in my country.** **watch?v=xerEH8UAJvU &t=1401s watch?v=0eY2W3tRC6Q**

 **watch?v=xerEH8UAJvU &t=1401s **

**watch?v=0eY2W3tRC6Q** **.**

 **Now, to go back to my story. I'm sorry, Meri Ley, but you will have to wait a little until you have the answers to all your questions. I'm really happy that you like my story. It means a lot to me.**

"Why are you so late?" Morgana asked annoyed. Merlin smirked.

"When have I promise to be early? When have I actually promise to come back?" The way he said it made her have some doubts. She started to doubt her own memory. Had she dreamt that he had promised to help her? Good question, in fact.

She kept meditating towards the later events, unaware that she had allowed him to have the upper hand. He had won just because Morgana dare not to say otherwise, even if she vividly remembered his words.

"So, why so bossy?" Merlin asked her. Morgana preferred to dodge his question and change the topic.

"What do you want?" She was too weak to fight and this world was confusing her. She had never count on anyone, but this time she felt that she lacked the strength and courage to face the future – or whatever it was- by her own, especially because her magic was gone. She would be careful, though. She didn't trust Merlin and she would never allow herself to trust him. Yet he was the only one the witch knew and it was clever to take advantage of that chance, after all.

"That's all?!" He exclaimed surprised. "No rude words? No passing the blame? No shouting at me? Well, I'm surprised. Has our little Morgana grown up indeed?"

"Don't be an idiot, Merlin." She threw at him.

"No, she hasn't." He kept mocking her.

"You haven't answered my question." The witch was on the edge of losing her temper.

"If you are to be a good girl, I will tell you. The question is what you want. Apart from power, Camelot's throne, Arthur dead….. In fact, only one of your wished has been accomplished. Arthur is indeed dead. However, he is not the only one. You would have been dead too haven't you been sent to the future by who knows which spell."

"Who will have ever believed that Arthur will die and you – his best friend and loyal lapdog-you will care so little about it? That you will joke about it? Have you really cared for someone in your life?" Morgana dodged another of his questions. After all, he hadn't answered her question either. Apart from that, she was pretty curious why he would speak with so much ease about something so delicate. She wondered if he had really faked his loyalty towards Arthur, but she knew the answer better than anyone. Merlin was a good liar indeed, however the witch couldn't figure out why he would sacrifice so much for Arthur if his friendship hadn't been real.

"Is it important? I've lived over a thousand years. People die, Morgana. It's inevitable." Something had happened. She was sure of that. And she suspected what it was.

"Let me guess. Your dear Arthur had disappointed you. He didn't accept your magic, did he? Did he call you a monster? Promised to have you executed." Morgana was pretty sure she had been right.

"No, he accepted me. In fact, he had thanked me for everything before he died. He regretted that he hadn't seen it before. He was hurt that I hadn't trust him, but in the end he understood why I lied."

"Then how makes you have accepted his dead so easily?" She asked again hoping to get something from him.

"I've told you. People die and there is nothing one can do about it." Morgana decided to change the topic. In fact, she cared little for her deceased brother.

"Why are you helping me then? What do I mean for you?" She had never expected his answer, though.

"You are just a girl who needs help. You probably know nothing about this new world and it happens to know it pretty well. I just have enough money to care little if I spend a little with you."

"If you care so little, why don't you help me return to my time?" Morgana was really annoyed. His attitude was…. She couldn't mean just so little for him? How could he compare her with any other girl? She would rather he hated her. She would rather he wanted her dead. Anything was better than this complete indifference.

"I prefer you here." It was all she could find out from him. In vain did she try to find more, he kept answering that it was his business and that he had his own plans or that it suited him better. When she asked him if he still hated her, he answered that he had enough time to forget everything. Eventually, he left her the food he had brought, and then put his coat on, preparing to go. He promised her that he would come the next day. Morgana was desperate. She didn't want to stay another day there and despite him telling her that it was for her best, the witch could not get what those people had done for her.

"What losing some blood will help me with?"

"It will help them know what's wrong with you."

"I've almost drown. What could be wrong with me?"

"There is something else except you having taken too much water on board."

"What?!" She exclaimed as his words confused her. On Board? What was it supposed to mean?

"How am I supposed to know? I'm not a physician." Obviously, it wasn't what she'd asked for, but he even had more surprises. "If they were to ask me I will tell you suffer from _Eigensinn._ "

"What?"

" _Entêtement."_

"Is it bad?" He was afraid that she would get the meaning as she had known a lot of tribes and well the German tribes were just beyond the North Sea… Well, the language had ichanged during the time. Who knows what word they used for stubbornness, if they had a word to describe it, after all. They probably had other concerns than describing the personality of their enemies.

"It could be…. You better stay still here and take some sleep."

* * *

It didn't take long until she received a strange visit. It was a young woman. It took Morgana a while to remember where she had seen that woman before. It was the one that had been with Merlin last night.

"I'm Freda." The woman presented herself as she could see that Morgana recognized her. Freda was very friendly and cheerful that Morgana felt she could trust her. Frieda spoke about herself and joyfully answered to Morgana's questions. There were so many things that the witch couldn't understand, but Freda answered patiently and explained her everything. She even agreed with Morgana when the witch revealed that she hated Merlin. Freda started to criticize Merlin as well. She came with numerous flows the warlock had. That helped Morgana say more. The High Priestess spoke about her life, about Uther, about Merlin's betrayal. To her surprise Freda approved her actions and even encouraged her not to give up. She even promised to help her to defeat Merlin. Freda advised her to get close to Merlin. Meanwhile she would look for anything she could find about that ancient spell Morgana was told about. Morgana was to try to find whatever she could from Merlin and then inform her. Together they were to be invincible.

Freda left, but Morgana was happy. She had an ally and even a good friend. "So, it seems that Merlin is not as loved as he thinks to be. He will live the day to know how it feels to be hated." Now, Morgana was looking forward for the next day. No matter how much she would have to pretend, she was ready to do it.


	5. The kingdom underneath the Waters II

**Hi. Ready for a new chapter? Here is the answer for what he wantes from her. Sorry, you will have to wait more to find what happened there. Here is just a samll part of the whole story. Hope you'll enjoy it.**

 **Meri Ley: I don't think Morgana changed at all. She's just pretending in order to gain information about Merlin and give them to Freda. But at a certain point her pretending character may proved to be her true colour. You know, she was always trying to seem the tough woman, but she was indeed pretty emotional and in need of a little afffection. Maybe, she is a bit more rational than she was at the end of the film. Plus, she is overwhelmed by the new world. She might look like a stupid considering the way she's reacting to tehnology, but I think it's quite usual to be like that. While Merlin, he had centuries to learn. It's quite natural he has changed. Thanks for your review.**

 **If you have suggestions, please tell me. I would also want to know if there is something you don't like or find it out of the place.**

* * *

Morgana didn't want to give up without a fight. Whatever his reasons to keep her there, she wasn't going to obey. She had finally accomplished her goals. She had never felt so powerful. She had finally got rid of Arthur. She was queen now. She was immortal. She wouldn't allow him to ruin her victory.

She checked for her dagger. It was at its place. The witch had never left it behind. She checked on him. He wasn't paying attention to her. She got close to him, her hand firmly on the dagger. Just some more steps...closer, closer...and then he turned. It was now or never. She took the dagger and pressed it firmly on his chest. She wanted to run away, but he caught her hand and held it tight with his right hand while he used his left one to pull the dagger out of his chest. As he finished he dragged her inside. In vain did she try to run, he was by far the strongest. She fell down, but he didn't stop. He practically, dragged her along despite her begging him to stop. Eventually, he stopped and put her on his shoulder. Then he went on, carrying her on his shoulder, as if nothing would have happened. He only put her down when they reached in front of a coffin made of glass or ice – Morgana couldn't figure out what it was made of.

Emrys stopped in front of that lady. Morgana watched her with curiosity, but she felt her blood freeze in her vein as she recognized herself on the features of the sleeping lady.

" It's me." She hardly could find the power to say those words.

"Indeed." Came his answer. "When she had died I created another world – a parallel world – hoping that, that way all the errors of this world would be erased. However, I couldn't control everything. I've thought I could change my life. I hope you will like the new me. Merlin was supposed to be perfect."

"Perfect?!" She puffed.

"She'd always seen me as a monster. She'd never loved me. Not for a single moment in her life. I've given her anything –jewels, power, the crown of the entire Albion and even more. The ships of the worlds were at her command. Was it something she never had?" Morgana started to realize what he wanted form her.

"You don't intend to use me as her replacement, do you? Even if I look like her, I'm not…."

"You are exactly like her. I just created a different context for "us to meet". But I think you need to hear all story. You will understand why I made the choices I've made." She nodded. It was clear she wouldn't escape easily from there, so she had no other choice but to obey for now.

"When I was a little boy I was kidnapped due to my magic. A greedy warlord wanted my power and so he took me far away from my mother. I was so young that I don't remember how she looked. For years he trained me. He wouldn't feed me unless I did what I was told. I was hungry…too hungry. They would eat meat while I would receive old bread and maybe a bone in case I acted "well". I never meant to kill, but I was scared. I wanted to eat. I wanted to survive. It took me many years until I managed to escape. By that time I was already known as a cruel monster by all his enemies. I ran away, but no one wanted to help me. They all feared me. I just wanted a simple life, but they called me "monster", they chased me away with stones and sticks, they sold me to the soldiers. However, I always managed to escape….

I had been wandering through the woods, pretty close to Camelot, when I saw her for the first time. I didn't dare to go close for fear she would chase me away as well. I just watched her and waited for her to come back. Eventually, one day, I went to talk with her. I've told about my feelings. I swore to love her for all eternity, but….she stabbed me with a dagger and gave me to the soldiers."

"She was probably scared and….." She knew she would have done the same. He ignored her worlds.

"So I killed them; every single man that had ever hurt me. I took over the throne and forced her to stay by my side; force her to watch her family being killed. It's quite ironically. She had threatened to have revenge for their deaths while you would have killed them with your own hand. We aren't so different, aren't we?" His remark bothered her. She wasn't like him. He was crazy.

"Of course she had never loved you. I wouldn't have loved you, either, and I will never love you." Morgana threw at him. She'd never been good at controlling herself.

"You think I don't know that? However, it's better than not having you at all."

"You're crazy. What happened next? How she died?" She was afraid of what he was capable of, however, she needed to know…even if he'd killed her…

"She'd betrayed me. She had complotted with my enemies, so I've offered her darling's head as a gift. I had thought she had finally come to love me, but she had only pretended in order to fool me. She stabbed herself for fear of what I might do to her. Honestly, I didn't know what I might have done to her….. So I created another world, a world where I wasn't taken by that warlord and he would be an ordinary boy. How bad the things had gone, you already know. I failed to implant my memories on him so he never knew who you were. I wanted him to bring you here. You weren't supposed to know the truth. In fact, he is me, isn't? But he didn't manage to gain your love. He was so obsessed by saving the world while you've never seen him as more than a serving boy. However, you are here and this time you won't be able to kill yourself."

His story was quite sad indeed, but she didn't have time to feel sorry for him. She needed to return home. She had to save herself. Life had taught her to be cold otherwise she would suffer and she didn't want to get hurt.

"What about the lake?" She needed to know how she'd got there, so she might find a way to return.

"It's actually the gate between the worlds. In order to prevent someone from entering here, the druids invented that stupid story about the devils. However, you didn't care. You wanted power. I can give you everything you want, but you'll have to stay here. And why would you want to leave? Do you really hate me so much that you prefer to return to your petty life instead of enjoying a glorious one with me?"

"May I think for a while?" She didn't know why she asked for time. She obviously didn't want to be his. She belonged to no one. Yet, back home she would be a nothing. With Emrys alive she had no chance to conquer Camelot. So, she would die alone and…. It was better to think it through. Maybe, there was a way.

"As long as you don't try anything stupid, you can have all the time you want." She smirked. Maybe she would never have to give him an answer. So, she would be able to enjoy her new life…


	6. A new home

**We go back to future to see what Morgana is doing. Next chapter will be about the Kingdome underneath the waters. Thanks to all that review, follow or simply read this story. I'm happy to know you are still here, waiting for the next chapter.**

* * *

The day to go home had finally come. Merlin was pretty punctual, to her surprise. Morgana wanted to tell something harsh at his address, but she remembered Freda's piece of advice and so she swallowed her own words and put a smile on her face. The best she could master. The witch was surprised how good she was at pretending. Merlin was surprised, as well. He'd never expected to find her so calm and cheerful. He hadn't seen her smiling for such a very long time. If he had been younger, he would have definitely fallen for her smile. Pity he wasn't….

* * *

Morgana was a like a curious child. The city was a new world for her and even the way to his car had been a true challenge for her. She'd stopped him for thousands of times in order to ask him about stupid things. The elevator pushed her directly into his arms. He may had been able to explain her why the door would open and close without being touched, but still the shocked of falling scared her to death. The witch had hardly any time to think. She instantly, cuddled in Merlin's arms - as if he could have stopped her from falling- and she only realized that when the door opened again.

The car was just another challenge. She made a fuss after he'd put her seat belt and only stopped when she saw that he'd done the same with his own. Of course, he had to explain why he had to do it and then she had a panic attack as she realized how risky it was to go with a car. She demanded a horse or anything safer than that iron monster. Eventually, she shut out as the car speeded on the high way. She sat there, motionless, very close to her seat, asking every god she knew to save her. She only cried as Merlin came close to another car, before he switched the lane. In vain, did he tried to explain that it wasn't as dangerous as she'd imagined and that the belt was just a precaution, Morgana was sure he was going to kill her. Merlin was glad that at least she wasn't sick. He'd only have his car washed and clean and he didn't want to clean it again. However, it didn't last longer and the dress he'd invested some of his precious pounds was a complete mess. He should have told the nurse not to give Morgana the breakfast. It would have been a better idea.

When they'd finally arrived home, he realized that she was way much tiring than being in the middle of a meeting after a very busy day. Without giving her much time to admire the flat – the penthouse, in fact-, he dragged her directly to the bathroom, pushed her in the shower and without giving her any warning, he turned the tap on. She was already used with showers from the hospital, but his action took her by surprise. He'd closed her in the shower so she couldn't get out and because of the water pouring down her face, she couldn't find the tap, either. Eventually, she calmed down and managed to have a decent shower. However, he had so many bottles with different substances that she couldn't decipher how to use. Nevertheless, she decided to take her dress of and try her luck with those bottles. But she had the slightest idea how to zip down her dress. The nurse had done it so fast that she hadn't had time to notice how she'd done it. In vain, did she try to get it of; the dress got stuck on her head and there was no way to remove it. As it hadn't been enough, in her attempt to get rid of the dress, Morgana bumped into the shower's door and she fell down on the floor.

However, the noise alerted Merlin and he came to see what had happened. Morgana didn't see him entering (She couldn't have as the dress was on her face), she only felt his hands on her back as he helped her to stand. The witch was still in her lingerie, but it didn't make her feel any better. Yet, before she realized he pulled her dress back on her body and zipped it down.

"Do you need any help with your lingerie?" He joked. However, he opened her bra before she shouted at him to get out. It was very embarrassing. He'd seen her naked and she hated him for that. She was really a lost cause in that millennium.

* * *

The shower helped her feel better. For a moment she'd forgotten the little incident, but she remembered as soon as she looked for something to put on. He'd left her some towels and a bath wrap. She put the bath wrap on, but she took it wrong as she supposed it had to be done on her back (all her dresses were done that way). Obviously, it wasn't right. It wasn't comfortable and she had the slightest idea how to do it. Eventually, she used the belt and managed to wrap her body into it.

Merlin was working at his laptop when she went out.

"You put it wrong." He said as he cast a glance at her before going back to his work. She didn't understand. "Never mind. You have some clothes in the bedroom. Do you know how to wear them?" he was very annoying. Without uttering a world, she went to the room he'd pointed to and as he'd said, she found the clothes on the bed. To her luck, there was no zipper on those clothes. In fact, there were just some pants, a T-shirt and dry lingerie. However, she'd studied her dress and she'd understood how the zipper worked. The same with her bra. Though, it still gave her emotions.

* * *

Morgana, was in no mood to face him, especially after the incident, but she was hungry and bored. She'd already slept enough at the hospital.

He was still in front of the laptop, but he put it down as he saw her.

"I'm hungry" She muttered before he could say a word. He smiled and invited her to the kitchen. The witch had just so many things to learn there, as well as anywhere else. Yet, the food was good and she found it quite nice to watch him cooking. in that moment, as he joggled with pancakes, he resembled the Merlin she'd met in Camelot. But his phone rang and he went back to being the famous businessman. Morgana remembered, as well, that she'd promised Freda to listened to Merlin's conversations and provide her with as much data as possible. If only she could understand what he was speaking about….yet she had a chance by playing the stupid. She would ask him to explain. So, when he'd answered that it was only business she demanded a more complex explanation. Right now, she was risking everything for the sake of revenge. For a moment, she contemplated the idea of letting go. She was sick of plots and spying. But she was too afraid that her happy life wouldn't last long and if she weren't to act at the right time, she would end worse than she'd ended at Camlan.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think. Till next time -Bye and a lovely spring to those who live in the temperat climat of Northern Hemisphere. Do you know what a mărțișor is? This chapter is my mărțișor for you. (If you are intrested I can explain next time or you can just google it).**


	7. The Kingdom Underneath the Waters III

**For those of you who are still curious what happened before... Enjoy**

* * *

The Kingdom underneath the Waters III

Emrys kept his promise and gave her time. Morgana tried her best to avoid him, but he started to be annoyed by her numerous excuses. She cared little about how he felt, though. The witch enjoyed her glorious life. She'd never been more powerful. As he'd promised there was nothing she would ask for and he wouldn't give her. Nevertheless, as she was alone in her room, everything seemed useless and shallow. Morgana wasn't happy. The more power she had, the powerless she felt. She was scared. In her nightmare she was cold and hungry. She was crying for help, but no one came to rescue her. There was not a single soul to comfort her. She missed Aithusa, although she could see the silver dragon whenever she wanted. But that wasn't her Aithusa. Her Aithusa loved her, cared her. Her Aithusa would come to her side once she would call for her. Her Aithusa was weak, but gentle.

Sometimes, she wondered if he felt that way. Then, she felt that she was too cruel to him and wanted to go and give him comfort. But as soon as she stepped out of her chambers, her pride brought her back. There was a voice that didn't allow her to be weak. She wouldn't sacrifice herself for anyone. So, she stayed in her room and cried alone.

Once the day came again, she went back being the ruthless queen, but even that game bored her to death. Morgana realized that she didn't like being queen. Once she'd killed Arthur she was left without any plan to follow. Soon she got sick and refused to leave her bed. She remembered the times when she had been genuinely happy. Nothing could make her feel like that again and she was unable to figure out why she felt hollow inside.

But, as time passed Emrys started to lose his patience and he decided to pay her a visit. By the time he came, she'd already given up eating. The witch had become a zombie.

"I've come to hear your decision." He said without any other introduction. Morgana cared little of his presence. Right now, she wasn't in the mood for fighting. "Look. I can give you a chance. Here…" and he offered her a cup "if you drink that, you will fell in love with me instantly. I will take good care of you."

"What stops you from forcing me to take it?" She asked. "I won't take it gladly, but you already know that." Sick as she was, there was still the same proud woman she used to be. However, she couldn't help feeling curious about the content of the cup. Right now, she was willing to welcome everything that would get her out of that misery her life had become. However, she wouldn't do it herself.

Nevertheless, he didn't pour the cup on her throat as she'd expected. "Fine, then. I will let you go home, but I should remind you that a few days here count a century in your worlds and you've already spend enough time here."

"I don't want to go anywhere." She stated and turned her back towards him. Yet, he took her by the hand and pulled her out of the bed. "I don't care what you want. I have other plans for you. Sick and gloomy as you are now, you are of no use to me. So, I will erase your memory and send you back to your world. Do not worry, we're going to meet again. If you're not willing to stay in my world, I would go to yours."


	8. Prince Charming

Morgana played her part so well. She couldn't understand that world but she was clever enough to find solutions. Freda made it easier for her as she soon came to visit Merlin. He hardly had time for her, but Morgana seemed more than happy to spend so much time with her. Soon they become good friends. The two would usually go shopping. Merlin didn't seem to bother. In fact he was happy that Morgana had finally found a friend. He was also happy that Morgana wouldn't have to stay alone in the apartment. He was mostly at his office and he would only come late and then he would be too tired to spend much time with her. However, Morgana wasn't mad on him.

Morgana had managed to give Freda vital information. Merlin had never given her much credit so he never bothered to keep his office paper hidden or to pay more attention to her while he was working on his laptop. So, it was only a matter of time until Freda found about his latest transactions and his future projects

As she'd been instructed, Freda took Morgana to meet Kitten's boss. He was really charming. Morgana seemed to like him as well. He played along with that stupid story Morgana was imaging. He'd promised the crazy girl that he would help her gain her crown if only she would do what she was told. He assured her that soon she would have her revenge on Merlin. Little did Freda know that Morgana wasn't as crazy as she'd thought.

* * *

Merlin noticed that something was wrong. Suddenly a new business had started to be more competitive than was his own and it was using some of his ideas. It was clearly that someone was selling data for that company, but he couldn't figure who was that one. He had been working with that team for years and never before had one betrayed the business. His company was more than a means for gaining money. It was about respect and loyalty. However, it hadn't cross to his mind that Morgana might be the one until he found his laptop was opened. He was sure he hadn't forgotten to shut it down.

Suddenly he realized how strange Freda's friendship with Morgana was. Merlin should have figured it out that Freda wanted something. Yet he couldn't believe how stupid Morgana was. Obviously, she wanted to have her revenge on him, but he couldn't imaging Morgana hadn't thought about consequences.

* * *

Morgana was head over heels for the boss. He was so gently and he was making her feel special. It was so long since someone had ever treated her like that. He understood her. Today he'd revealed that he had magic. He'd told her that he had to hide because people would try to kill him if they were to find out. He'd spoke her about his campaign for bringing back magic. He'd failed, though. He had lacked her ambition. He'd told her that he'd never found someone like her. They spoke about childhood and they laughed , and chatted about stupid things. His name was Semry. The witch found it quite unusual, but she liked it nevertheless. So, when he proposed her, Morgana accepted without a second thought. She didn't care that she hardly knew him. She was happy that she had finally found someone she would spend her entire life with.

* * *

Merlin decided against confronting Morgana. He already knew why Morgana did it. What he didn't know was why Freda was doing it. He was still pretty handsome. He'd given up his emotional side long ago, but it didn't make him less attractive. It wouldn't work for Morgana and he did not intend to use his charm on her. Freda, though…. She might tell him a lot of things.

The news regarding Morgana's wedding took him by surprised. Merlin really felt sorry for her. It was more than clear for the warlock that Morgana was being used, but he knew she wouldn't listen to him….not without proves at least. So, he would have to bring her proves which meant he would have to get pretty close to Freda and to his surprise she wasn't so difficult to conquer.


	9. The Kingdom Underneath the Waters IV

"My lord" He was disturbed from his deep meditation by one of his loyal servants. She'd been a little girl when he'd taken her in his castle. She'd been an orphan, so no one cared for the destiny of the tiny creature with blue eyes and curly red hair. No one could tell where she'd come from. She was like a little cat, always following her master. As a result, Emrys named her Kitten. Despite her low background, she grew up into a very intelligent woman and probably, if her master's mind and heart wouldn't have been occupied by the memory of the Lady, she would have been the queen of the entire Albion. In just a few years, Kitten had turned into a true beauty. "My lord" She called again. "Are you really going to let her go?"

Kitten had known her master's weakness and she was quite surprised that he would give up so soon. She suspected that it should be something in his mind and she wanted to be part of whatever he was intending to do.

"Kitten, Kitten. You've always been loyal to me." He addressed his beautiful companion. "Won't you disappoint me this time, will you?" Kitten nodded as she dared to look at her master for the first time. "Then, go to their world! Find me everything you can about her."

"Are you intending to go there, My Lord?!"

"Indeed. She must be confused. So many years have passed and cleaver as she is, she has no chance in dealing with her new life."

"So, you'll be there to save her, won't you, My Lord?"

"Exactly. However, I will have to change some things here and there. I was too quick into telling her my true intentions. I've thought she would understand. I was wrong, though. But now I know what I should do…."

"It seems that the lord has a plan."

"You know me the best, Kitten. It seems that the girl has some issues concerning my resemblance with her mortal enemy. I guess I should find a better look in order to gain her trust."

"If I dare, My Lord, why do you let her go if intend to bring her back? Won't it be more useful to erase her memories and try again? Why bother to go there."

"That world is full of danger and challenges and it is exactly what I need to bring her in my arms. Why should I bother to create all those here when I can use that world? Morgana isn't the strong girl she tried to seem. In fact, she is just a scary girl. Now, you go and be ready for her coming!"

"Yes, My Lord."

* * *

A week later

Things hadn't gone according to plan, but Kitten hadn't been useless at all. She'd found an ally in Freda, the girl Merlin had been dating the night Morgana had been found at the lake. Freda cared only for money and as long as Kitten would offer her something, Freda was willing to go to the hell and back.

Emrys was surprised to see that destiny was a very strange thing. He would have never expected that destiny would make for Merlin and Morgana to meet. It was very strange indeed. Nevertheless, knowing her temper she would abandon him as soon as possible and then he would come and save her.

He made sure that his new appearance wouldn't give him away. Before sending Morgana back to her world, Emrys had checked all her memories. He practically knew her better than she knew herself. He wanted to make sure he would resemble someone she cared about, so she, unconsciously, would feel attracted to him. However, he had to make sure he wouldn't be too obvious. The result was a very handsome man, sort of a knight in shining armor of the 21st century, ready to save the damsel in distress.


End file.
